


We're all in This Together

by racesgirl2000



Category: Mona the Vampire, The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-13
Updated: 2016-09-16
Packaged: 2018-08-14 20:28:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8027884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/racesgirl2000/pseuds/racesgirl2000
Summary: This is a Mona the Vampire/the Real Adventures of Jonny Quest crossover





	1. The Quest Team

Dr Estella Velasquez opened the store at the usual time; always the same time every day, no matter what. It was easy; she'd bought the house next door, made a few changes, and gave the town something a little different. Her store "Velasquez Antiques" was all she wanted to do with her life, even while she was in college: open up something that wasn't your average antiques store. Her collegiate contacts were able to supply her with a wide variety of imported objects, some of them rare enough to attract shoppers from big cities hundreds of miles away. 

But there was something in the shop rarer than any college professor could have found. Every day, before the shop opened, she stopped to smooth the dress on a rag-doll that held pride of place in a display case near the register. A simple doll in a vaguely Middle Eastern dress, but Estella never went a day without looking at it or touching it. It was the only relic they had brought back from her native Columbia She was just 10 years old when her late father gave it to her but she still remembered.

She settled onto the padded stool behind the counter and thought about her daughter Jessie Bannon. It would be Homecoming weekend at the high-school soon. She'd have to come back from college for that. Last year, she thought she might not; it was her freshman year, there were so many new and exciting distractions...No, she smiled to herself, nothing could distract him, after what they'd been through. Nothing this world had to offer could come close.

A floorboard creaked behind her. Odd; she hadn't notice anyone come in. She looked around.

...and, thousands of miles apart, strange things started happening.

 

Dr Benton Quest had set up the experiment ahead of time; it was one of his favorites. He was introducing it to the students as he had a lot of time let alone students at Waterford high school.

" We'll be able to use electricity in this rig to break the water molecules down into the hydrogen, which will collect on this side, and the oxygen, which collects over here. If you did the reading, you know there's a special term for this--"

"Yeah, it's called boiling water." said Mona Parker from the second row.

Dr Quest sighed and unconsciously pushed his glasses back up his nose. He'd worn them most of his life, and was nearly blind without them. Just once, he thought to himself. He turned to plug in the apparatus, and his hand brushed against a beaker, pushing it into the sink. There was a sound of glass breaking and most of the class cheered. He grabbed the waste-paper basket and started picking bits of broken glass out of the sink.

"Hey, Doc, how much you owe them now?" asked George Jamell from next to Mona.

Amazing how two dozen students can want to learn something about science, Dr Quest thought. And it only takes one mouth to bring the whole thing to a halt. This mouth belonged to George Jamell who didn't just make trouble for anyone these days. He was reputed to have a record in Juvenile Hall and there was even talk of gang activity. Nothing was ever proven, however. Principal Michael Hawkins tried once to talk to all the students parents but George's father, who was from Tennessee, seemed to know as little Mid Western as Dr Quest knew Southern. At one point, though, George's father Kevin Jamell had thrown up his hands and said "Too far; it's done."

Dr Quest preferred joking with the students to trying to run the classroom. "No problem; the school gets a Quest discount."

"Man, I knew this place was cheap." This came from Mona again; on the subject of money, again. Everyone knew he had a lot of it; her father still put in 14-hour days at Parker-Jamell Antiques; Lenny Parker & Kevin Jamell wanted to make sure their children didn't lack anything. They succeeded too well. George let everyone know, every chance he got, how well the store was doing. George seems like a nice boy if he wasn't a jackass, Dr Quest thought; He's not as bad as Race's older brother Eric ever was at that age.

At the moment, Mona was telling anyone who would listen about her new sweater, a strange-looking riot of seemingly random yarns. "This cost just 5 bucks. It was woven by a computer program so every one's unique."

"It still loooks like it needs to be finished," Dr Quest muttered hardly aware that he had spoken aloud. He also wasn't aware that the waste-paper basket had begun to give off a purplish light from within.

The sweater heard and started to knit itself. Pulling yarns seemingly out of thin air, the cuffs, collar and bottom of the sweater started growing. Before George realized it, the sleeves had grown past Mona's hands rounding off like cotton swabs. The collar covered his head entirely, and it was all Mona could do to work her way out of it before he was sealed into his sweater like a moth in a cocoon. She pulled and twisted, fell out of her chair, rolled on the floor and finally had to slice an opening.

Of course it was against school rules to carry a switch-blade knife but that was hardly uppermost in Dr Quest's mind. He was worried about the way Mona said "What'd you do to my sweater?"

Dr Quest stepped back, still clutching the waste-paper basket in one hand. "Hey, it's not me! I'm not in this!"

"Than you, Dr Quest." said Mona as thick purple smoke poured out of the basket, filling the room in seconds and setting off the fire-alarms. When the smoke cleared a minute or two later, Dr Quest was nowhere to be seen.

If anyone had looked to the field north of the high school, they would have seen Dr Quest suddenly appear on the edge of the woods there; still holding the waste-paper basket. When he realized where he was, he screamed and dropped the basket. The purple glow within was dying away. 

The hat; that's where he'd seen it before. But that was years ago, in another place. Why was this happening now? He'd have to look for his answers back home; where he'd grown up. Of course, now "home" was several hundred miles away, at the other end of the state. He'd have to go to his apartment, pack a bag. He could call the school office from there. But what would he tell them?

 

Two time-zones away in California, the sun hadn't been up an hour but Hadji Singh was up and dressed before the sun. Now he jogged the sand-covered streets of the city with his girlfriend Sunita Nahasapeemapatilon. Sunita was glad to get a daily run, down the road, around the perimeter of St Faith's Elementary School and back. Hadji did it for a mix of overlapping reasons: he stuck to the training regimen he'd followed since he joined the Quest Team; he could no longer imagine not following it. He didn't mind doing a favor for Principal Ivan Shawbly either; He kept his German Sheppard Sandy as a watchdog, and couldn't give it the exercise it needed. Then, too, Ivan, Van the Man to his friends & nephew George Jamell, was the super at the apartment complex; Hadji was not above hoping that befriending the dog would make its master more disposed to repair things a little sooner. Plus, Sunita didn't like the idea of jogging through this neighborhood, day or night, without a dog. The apartments drew a sad and strange mix of residents: bikers and off-base military, college students and alcoholics. Odd place to find an Olympic-class athlete.

Both turned the final corner, and they and the dog put on a last little burst of speed on this last block. The apartment building might have been considered luxurious in the 50s and 60s, to a snow-bound Midwesterner, but now it was just a run-down three-story stucco building, no central air, and a rather dubious pool in the center of the courtyard. Still, it was what they could afford.

Hadji knocked on Ivan's door and called out, "Here is Sandy!"

Ivan moved a little slowly these days plus he was tinkering with a broken air conditioner in the back workshop so it took him a minute to answer. When he opened the door, Sandy bounded happily inside. "Thank you, Hadji, Sunita."

"Principal Shawbly, we do not want to be a pest, but the shower has been leaking for three days now--"

"I take care of it this afternoon. Don't worry."

Hadji smiled. Usually, when Ivan said "Don't worry", the problem would be taken care of later that day. Hadji & Sunita turned toward the stairs.

By the stairs, Sunita checked the mailbox. Out of reflex; it was too early for a delivery. Nothing. Since she'd moved to America from Bangalore, she'd sent out dozens of resumes for school coaching positions, not hearing anything. Was she overqualified, or were the schools afraid of her possible salary demands? Every day she turned the problem over in her mind, as she did now, walking up the steps to her third-floor apartment. Then there was the long-shot; she met last week with someone from a TV production company, who suggested that she might find work as a stunt double. It was good money, and nothing she couldn't handle. But she needed membership in the Screen Actors Guild for that. She'd filled out her paperwork, and was still waiting to hear from the Guild. It would be wonderful if that came through; they could move out of this place, get closer to L.A.

They. She'd also been thinking a lot about her old friend Sam Calvin lately. It had seemed so perfect at first; both of them high school athletes at the top of their form. He just missed making the Olympic wrestling squad but he had reassured her that her being on the track team never bothered him. Well, maybe it didn't then. Since then, he'd never taken anything but small part-time jobs: security guard, parking attendant, and now a bar bouncer. She'd brought in most of the money, even after the budget cuts. They had practically no life together since he started working nights.

Lately he started coming home later and later; just at sunrise the other night, hours after the bar closed. He wasn't home when she left to go jogging, and he wasn't home yet. It was another day when she didn't have anywhere to go. Should she shower in the apartment, leaks and all, or go down to the changing room for the pool? This was one of those days when the walls started closing in; she threw a change of clothes into a sports bag, opened the door and stopped. From her door she could see to where the courtyard opened onto the street. Sam was getting out of a convertible at the curb; a convertible driven by a woman who looked to be Hadji & Sunita's age but who had a Godawful hair weave that looked like the Eiffel Tower. Sunita watched Sam kiss this woman, who drove off.

Hadji was surprised to find that he felt--nothing. Absolutely nothing. Watching her neighbor kiss another woman was like watching an anthill. All she could think about was the last time she saw Estella and Race Bannon. That was four weeks ago when they came out west for the engagement party. They hadn't spoken much except that Estella said "I hope this works out." Hadji knew that Race was thinking, "I hope you know what you're doing."

Sam walked into the apartment, said only "We got any coffee?" and went into the kitchen area. Sunita just stood by the door, not moving, not speaking. Finally, Sam noticed the silence. "What is it?"

Sunita found her voice. "Do not bother. I have heard this before and you do not even mean it. Just admit that you are looking for a good time and we are out of here."

"Maybe you'd be leaving too soon." he said suddenly flashing a cold smile and pulling an envelope out of his jacket pocket. An envelope from the Screen Actors Guild.

"Dammit, did that come just now?" asked Hadji.

"No, it came three days ago." said Sam.

"Give me that." asked Sunita.

"You want something?" He suddenly tossed the coffee cup toward her. It missed and went out the still-open front door, over the railing and splashed into the pool. "You want something?" he repeated, louder and angrier, throwing a butcher block full of knives at her. Hadji & Sunita both ducked; the block hit the wall behind and the knives scattered at their feet. "What else have you been hiding from me?"

"God, look who is talking." asked Hadji.

Sam grabbed the only other thing left on the counter--an empty paper-towel holder--and threw that at Sunita but Hadji caught it.

He caught it straight-armed, elbow not bent at all and with the force Sam put behind the throw, it could well have broken a bone in his hand. But it landed gently in his hand and, as he curled his fingers around the wooden rod, it seemed to pulse, as if it were a beating heart. He knew that feeling, and watched as the towel holder took on a green glow and started to lengthen.

It only took a few flicks of his wrist. He struck the floor with the staff causing one knife after another to bounce up, to be struck back into the kitchen. Sam, who had involuntarily backed up to the wall when the staff started glowing, found a half-dozen blades coming at him. Whether by accident or by design, they all missed his skin, but pinned the loose fabric of his shirt and pants to the back wall.

Hadji put the sports bag over his shoulder and walked into the kitchen. She kept coming until her face was a mere inch from Sam's. "You were right, dearest," Sunita said, barely above a whisper; "there is something in my past you do not know about. Let me give you a hint."

She crossed the apartment in a few quick strides. As she reached the threshold, she planted the staff like a vaulting-pole and went over the side of the railing. If Sam could have moved, he would have seen Sunita come down on the end of the diving board, bounce back into the air, execute a double-forward somersault and land in front of the mailboxes.

She & Hadji both looked at the staff, which had once again become simply a towel holder, and dropped it into a nearby trashcan. But she knew what it signified. She checked the wallet in her sports bag, which held the only credit card Sam hadn't maxed out; because she never told him of its existence. She'd saved it for an emergency, and this was clearly it. She walked down the street, trying to figure how to get to the airport. She didn't look back.

If she had, she might have seen Ivan, who had watched her spectacular performance. "I told you, Sandy," the old man whispered to his dog, "Hadji & Sunita are nice Indian kids."

 

The alarm clock didn't go off; it wasn't supposed to. Roger 'Race' Bannon woke up anyway, a few minutes past his usual time, then smiled, stretched like a jungle cat and turned the clock-radio away from the news to a mostly-oldies station. He contentedly drifted into and out of sleep for the next two hours. This was a luxury.

Race (his whole adult life, nobody had ever called him "Roger" except his parents) hadn't had much luxury lately. College had its moments, but law school was non-stop pressure. It made college look like the third grade. It even took him a fourth year; not because of his grades, but because he had to stop and take a full-time job to pay for the final year. After that, he was lucky enough (so he thought) to land a job with the Federal government in Washington. But luck didn't translate into a decent salary; he had to start rather far down the ladder.

That was in the past, however, and so was the studio apartment in Silver Spring, Maryland and the godawful daily commute. And the neighbors; let's not forget them, he thought as he paced around his new apartment. What looked like a nicely-kept apartment complex had more than its share of creeps, domestic violence and flat-out weirdness. One woman ran seances out of her apartment. The week before he moved, Race and a buddy from the office, who'd stopped by to help him pack, swung by that apartment to (ha!) see what the future might hold. 

If they were expecting to see some sort of odd occult museum, they were disappointed; the apartment was rather ordinary, neat and well-kept, except for a glass-fronted bookcase that held what could only be called an eccentric collection of objects, including a small box of Captain Crunch cereal, an old tube from the day when radios and televisions ran on tubes instead of transistors and a robin's egg.

Race settled into the guests' chair and waited for the woman who lived there to speak. When she did, she was hard to understand; there was some Jamaican in her voice, some New Orleans, and a couple of accents Race didn't recognize. Still, he soon caught on and was able to follow her.

"You got leadership on you," she spoke to Race or rather, to the rug at his feet. "You been the hero before, an' you be the hero again. But you not gonna save the day. Not by youself anyway."

Maybe that was just the kind of impressive-sounding nothing a fortune-teller can get away with, Race thought. Still--but that was years ago. So much has changed since then. And he surely wasn't going to go back to Chicago anytime soon.

Instead, here he was, in a one-bedroom apartment off of McClellan Circle, near Embassy Row. His last raise gave him the means to get back into Dr Quest's place proper, to a nice set of rooms in a nice neighborhood. This was the second of five vacation days he'd burned to be able to putter around the apartment and get it exactly right.

He unboxed things that hadn't seen the light of day since before law school: trophies, honors, clippings. Then there was the set of green binders, full of dozens of entries. Hank had started the book a dozen times, put it away, started again. Part of him felt that he had to record his experiences with his friends on the team and part of him felt it was a temptation--he was in this world, after all. Nobody could live in both; he shouldn't try.

Race left the books, picked up a broom and started sweeping around the baseboards of the dining area. He happened to be looking out the window when he saw a little kid--maybe three years old--break away from his mom to chase after a pigeon, which was walking between two parked cars. The bird waited until the toddler was almost next to it, then flew off. The child followed it--into the path of an oncoming truck.

In spite of himself, Race, knowing he couldn't be heard or seen, still yelled, "Look out!" He waved his arms, still holding the broom.

On the second wave, the broom curved.

Without even thinking, he knew what he held, and drew back a string that didn't even appear until he reached for it. He fired off a pulse of energy that swooped down to the street, actually picked the boy up and drop him back on the sidewalk before disappearing like mist.

Race couldn't move for about five minutes. Everything he had just been thinking--about not letting the past control his life, about staying grounded in one world at a time--had vanished as completely as the energy pulse he had used to save the young boy. When he did finally move, it was to tenatively try the broom again, but the bow was gone. Was it a hallucination? He'd been thinking about his time on the Quest Team--maybe he saw the child in trouble and imagined the rest...

No; he knew what had just happened. And he knew that he couldn't get the answers to any questions if he stayed here.

 

Jonny Quest's class schedule wasn't light by any means; whoever said jocks get to coast through college never went here, he thought, more than once. Still, this was his one weekday with no classes. The weather was perfect; Indian summer, just warm enough, and the national park was just close enough to campus.

He steered his motor scooter down the roads of the national park, looking for an open field. This was his second year in the Blue Ridge Mountains, but he'd taken to them as if he'd lived there all his life. He could go there when he was happy, or when he was introspective, or when he wanted to blow off some steam, or when, like this time, he just wanted to get in some batting practice.

Finding his favorite field, he pulled the scooter off the road. Out of his knapsack he pulled a beat-up aluminum bat; an old high school souvenir. He'd used that bat to win the school three Nationals trophies, as well as to set a state batting record. He scanned the gravel along the road for some good-sized rocks,. picked up a few, tossed them up one at a time, and proceeded to hit them a few hundred feet down the field.

"Yo, Bamm Bamm!"

One of his fraternity brothers, Lamont Biggs, a football letterman, was also in the park that morning, but for different reasons. "I got some assignments to make up for Winograd," he reminded Jonny. Professor Winograd taught "Fundamentals of Earth Science"--or, as the house referred to it, "Bonehead Botany". It was one of the core courses that the school athletes had to pass to keep their NCAA eligibility. Bobby had gotten it out of the way his freshman year. He stopped his fungo practice and helped Biggs gather some of the spectacularly colored fallen leaves.

"So, you heard from anyone yet?"

"About what?" Jonny asked.

"Drop the act, man. There were four scouts at least at your last game."

"Well, none of them spoke to me."

"Yeah, why should they? Five for five, three home runs..."

"It was the team's win."

"You're for real, aren't you? You really mean to say there's no dollar signs in your head?"

"Hey, we all could use some money."

"What are you trying to dodge me for? I'm not NCAA. Just tell me what you've really got on your mind."

"First things first. I just want to get through school. After that, I'll talk things over with Jessie..."

"Well, I knew she'd be in there somewhere. What's she got to do with baseball?"

"It's more than just that. She's got a good view of things."

"Like what; she can see into the future?"

"Of course she can; didn't you know?" Jonny didn't mind telling Biggs the truth, only because Biggs would refuse to believe it. As far as Biggs was concerned, Jessie Bannon was Jonny's girlfriend, known at the house as "Pebbles" to Jonny's "Bamm Bamm", and that's as far as it went. Jonny thrust a handful of leaves at Biggs. "This ought to keep Winograd happy. I have to hit a few stones."

"On top of team practice? Why do you do it?"

"I love the game, Inch; that's all I can say. I just love the game."

In the frat's tradition of naming members after cartoons, Biggs was "Inch High Private Eye", both because he was an Administration of Justice major, and because this defensive lineman was one of the largest brothers in the house. Still, he had to look up into Jonny's eyes, to see if he was kidding. He shook his head in disbelief, and wandered off to gather a few more specimens.

I'm not weird, am I? Jonny wondered, striking a rock with a ping that sent it far down the open field. Just 'cause I'm not trying to line up an agent, or trying to get into the minor leagues before I'm twenty-one. Ping; the rock cut to the left, but still would have been a fair ball. Hell, I know guys have been chasing me; that's where Jess really helps me out. Ping; the rock angled into the ground; too hard. Wonder if she got my last e-mail; wonder if she can come up this weekend.

Ping.

Jonny hit rocks in this field because it was about as long and as clear as a major league baseball diamond. He kept all the landmarks in his head; bases and the mound, dugouts and bleachers, to measure his practice sessions. This time, however, the rock cleared what would have been the center field wall, and was still climbing. It rose as it sped through the air for another hundred yards, two hundred yards, before it started to fall to earth again. The rock was still traveling at high speed when it hit the tree-line.

It had traveled a mile and was still traveling.

Jonny didn't even have to look, but he knew he had to. Sure enough, the golden glow that had surrounded his bat was fading in the sunlight. He didn't stop to think about it; he ran to his scooter. He knew he had to find his cell phone and try to contact his dad.


	2. The Doo Wop Hop

Everyone at Waterford High School was dressed like characters from the old TV show Happy Days as they all jived to an old rock & roll hit at the annual Doo Wop Hop. 

"The Chosen Ones," said Race Bannon as he approached Mona, George, Charlie and Lily. "Oh my God, it's you guys, you're actually here!"

"Dress your kids up like The Chosen Ones," said a man with a London accent by the style booth. "There you go, mate. Thank you." said the man as he bought a Wolfman George costume and left. "Get your Wolfman George, Mona the Vampire, Starman and Princess Diva costumes and toys!"

"Hey, Little Britain, I want a word with you," said George as he charged towards the vendor like a raging bull. "I don't know what the hell you're playing at but this is weirdo."

"Excuse me?" asked the vendor.

"I think that redhead gal, my cousin, thinks her Mona the Vampire outfit makes her look a bit fat." said George getting really mad. Anyone who knew George never made him mad.

"OK, that's a bit weird." said the vendor.

"That's a bit weird?" asked George. "You better watch it, London Calling 'cause my girlfriend's a close pal of..."

"Mona the Vampire." Mona interrupted as she jumped near George in a red halter top, a pair of dark blue capri pants, white ankle socks, brown   
pumps and a lilac cape.

"Oh, no, no no, Can't you read? No refunds, darling." said the vendor.

"What? For the wig." asked Mona as she touched the black beehive she had for a wig.

"Don't look like one of mine anyway, looks like dry hay," said the vendor. "Is it dry hay? Oh, do you see those? Oh, they're very popular, talking dolls. Genuine Chosen Ones catchphrases."

"I'm Mona the Vampire." said a doll which resembled a Barbie doll in Mona's usual vampire outfit these days. "That's what you think!"

"I'd never say that!" stated Mona as she and George walked off to dance to the music.

"Well, I'm guessing they wouldn't sell if they just whinged about their kids." said George.

Suddenly, a loud bang interrupted the dance and there were Lorenzo Alejandro and Julia Faraday. If Mona was so sure, they were on a mission to burn the gym down but Charlie and Lily decided to distract Lorenzo. Suddenly, Lily had tried to run but the sweater she was wearing had gotten caught with Charlie's sweater. Suddenly, the whole scene flashed before her mind with painful clarity. Lorenzo grabbed both of them as they fled hauling them out of the school gym and hoisting them up on his motorbike the Nightmare. Both had struggled against him but he was just too strong and he probably got Julia to knock them out as they were ridden off.

"What the hell happened?" asked George's cousin Claire Ashley as she noticed that Charlie and Lily were gone.

"I think that those goons kidnapped Charlie and Lily." her twin brother Lance replied.

Within minutes, the Quest team arrived as they saw Lorenzo and Julia leave with Charlie and Lily.

"That's weird, I know those jerks work for Dr Surd," said Laurence Jackson when to his surprise, the Quest team appeared before the kids. "Am I right?"

"What's going on?" as Dottie Hall as she rushed towards her cousin Mona and Claire and Lance rushed over to their cousin George.

"Something weird's happened in here," said Race. "I found some of the kids lying on the floor, guys, come take a look."

"Okay, Race." Dr Quest sighed.

A quick inspection of the gym convinced even Dr Quest that something was amiss. They found a few kids injured or unconscious but there was no sign of Charlie and Lily. Mona was really worried now and asked "What the hell could've happened to them? I'll find out...once we get involved."

A few minutes later, the unconscious students all woke feeling a bit groggy.

"Can you tell me what happened, kids?" Estella asked George and Mona.

"Lorenzo Alejandro and Julia Faraday came into the gym, I thought it was one of Dr Surd's tricks," said George. "Next thing I know, you guys are standing there."

"Okay, fine," said Jonny impatiently. "Sounds like you're the crazy ones. My dad created a device that'll scan the air for any remaining molecules of gas. There should be at least some left."

Hadji turned on the device which resembled a radar gun and waved it around. The device emitted a beeping sound and said looking thoughtful "Hmmm...looks like GZ7667. A powerful gas indeed."

"But what about some of us?" asked Lucie Lanning. "Are they feeling okay?"

Jessie gave Lucie one of her patented looks and said "Well, some of them might've escaped but then, they would surely've gone to the police station. We spoke to Lieutenant Halcroft but he was obviously eating donuts so we couldn't understand a word he said so we gotta find out who's responsible for your friends vanishing."

With that, Race, Estella, Jonny, Jessie, George and Mona all disappeared in a cloud of blue smoke which left Dr Quest, Hadji and any remaining students bewildered as well as concerned.


	3. Kidnapped

Lily awoke to a pounding pain in her head. The last thing she remembered was trying to distract that guy with Charlie as they had fought the the 50s Doo Wop Hop. She had tried to run but the sweater she was wearing had gotten caught with Charlie's sweater. Suddenly, the whole scene flashed before her mind with painful clarity. That Lorenzo Alejandro guy who used to work for Dr Jeremiah Surd had caught her and Charlie as they fled hoisting them up on his motorbike the Nightmare. Both had struggled against him but he was just too strong. She was still not sure what he had done to her to keep her and Charlie still as they rode off and Lily suspected that she was better off not knowing.  
As her head cleared, she tried to sit up and figure out exactly where Lorenzo and his bitchy cohort Julia Faraday had dumped her and Charlie hoping for an escape route. Only her arms and legs wouldn’t respond. She tried to shift her body around and realized that she was bound back to back with Charlie. The more she tugged, the more the thick ropes cut into her wrists and tightened around her ankles.

If I can feel the rope on my ankles, Lily thought in puzzlement, then that means that me and Charlie are in our Doo Wop Hop costumes! What have those two done to me and Charlie? She didn't have to wait long as Charlie was starting to wake up himself.

"What the hell happened?" asked Charlie. "Where are we?"

"We've been kidnapped, Charlie," Lily answered keeping a cool head. "I think that we're on that boat that bitch Angela had when we were still in Grade School."

"You mean the Princess?" asked Charlie.

"That's the boat." said Lily.

Gulping hard, Charlie forced himself to open his eyes and really look around him as he woke up. The room was bathed in half shadow, several candles and two torches providing the only light that flickered and danced across the walls. By the door, a coat rack rested against the wall. Slowly, Lily and Charlie looked down at their own bodies. She was still in the yellow twinset, dark blue poodle skirt, white ankle socks and brown pumps she wore to the Doo Wop Hop, he in the red high school sweater, light blue shirt, gray pants and black saddle shoes he wore to the Doo Wop Hop. Just then, the heavy wooden door that they hadn't noticed before shimmered. Lorenzo and Julia both both filled the doorway, Lorenzo's huge form towering over them as they struggled in vain to escape.

"Come on, kids, the boss wants to see you," Lorenzo said as Julia untied Charlie and Lily but Charlie flinched as his arm was grabbed by a black leather gloved hand and given a sharp jerk. "Move it, he don't like to be kept waiting."

Both Charlie and Lily got up and noticed another Surd henchman by the door with a handgun. As if they expected two 18 year olds to by a major threat. Maybe they did. Their training methods with Dr Surd did not leave much leeway for independent thinking. Charlie and Lily were both escorted down the corridor with more Hood henchman on Surd henchman everywhere. They all stared at him although their faces hid any and all signs of emotion but Lily had little doubt they didn't like her or Charlie. Finally, they stopped in front of a large double door. Julia punched a series of buttons on a keypad and the door swung open. She and Lorenzo then shoved Charlie and Lily inside before they had been able to properly prepare themselves for what might be in there.

The room was very bare and very cold in appearance. There was only a single table, a chair in front, two behind it. The two behind it were occupied. One of them was Lucie Lanning's ex boyfriend Tom Sanderson, Charlie recognized him on sight. The guy who appeared to be a couple of inches taller than George was now had a calm expression on his face. Charlie and Lily knew the other one as well on account that she was Mona's old rival Angela Smith. He also knew he was unbalanced in the very least. His expression was crazed and his eyes seemed to hold back madness that raged to escape. It was enough to daunt even Mona, George or even Race Bannon, let alone the artists formerly known as Zapman and Princess Giant.

Angela gestured to the chairs and said "Sit down, Charlie and Lily. We don't stand on ceremony around here." She looked past Charlie and Lily to the Tom, Lorenzo and Julia although Charlie and Lily were too afraid to turn around and look. "Okay, you guys've done your job. Beat it."

Charlie and Lily heard the doors close all the while never taking their eyes off Angela's blue ones as she steepled her long fingers and said "Okay then, let's do this. Do you know why you were kidnapped?"

"No." answered Charlie and Lily truthfully.

"Well, it's like this," said Angela. "I want revenge on Mona Parker for being a bitch and George Jamell for dumping me for her so I figured you got all the info on them and that's why we snatched you."

"We don't understand." said Charlie.

"You soon will!" snarled Angela suddenly and Charlie and Lily felt their very flesh crawl and their hearts jump.

"Come on, Charlie, a nerd like you's gotta have some idea of what I want," said Angela. "You and Lily are gonna tell moi everything you know about that bitchy vampire friend of yours and of Wolfman George. Where his base is, who he is, what he stands for, what he eats and of course, what George and Mona get up to in their spare time. You do that for me and you two can go home. What do you say?" While saying that, Angela's expression was perfectly cordial.

Charlie looked at the floor. Lily guessed that he could never talk. That much he knew. It would destroy their friendship with Mona and George and it would likely even make it easier for Angela to be a bigger bitch than usual. A chilling vision of the armies of darkness marching over the earth passed through his mind. They could never do that to someone who's lives they had saved more than once who they had treated as equals when most others either ridiculed or teased them. they owed Mona and George.

"Well?" asked Angela.

"As if." said Lily simply.

What happened next surprised even Angela. Moving with amazing speed for someone his size, Tom came into the room, grabbed Charlie and Lily and lifted him into the air.

"What the hell do you mean as if?" Tom snarled. "Do you want me to wipe you out like bathtub mildew?"

Charlie and Lily were petrified. It had been an abrupt reminder that they were still 18 year olds facing four dangerous criminals, one of them who was the biggest bitch in their 4th Grade class who once called Miss Gotto a transvestite n front of the entire class and two who worked for Dr Jeremiah Surd. Tom's grip felt like solid iron. It was a grim hint of what he was capable of, his strength increased even more by madness.

Angela stared at Tom for a second and said "Put them the hell down."

"We can't play around with them." cried Tom.

"I said put them down. I'm still speaking to them," Angela said while she silently cursed Dr Surd for teaming her up with Lorenzo and Julia. "That's an order, Tom."

On Angela's order, Tom put Charlie and Lily back in the chair grumbling.

"If your dramatics are over," Angela said to Tom and then turned back to Charlie (who was trembling) and Lily. "Wrong answer, bitches. You see, you haven't got a choice. You're gonna tell me what you know about Mona even if I gotta force you. And I'll take this opportunity to remind you that Lorenzo and Julia work for Dr Surd." At that, Angela's expression had changed to malevolence.

Charlie and Lily felt a chill. They hadn't thought of that and if they had kidnapped them, they would have no qualms about kidnapping Mona, George or any of the Quest Team and using them as pawns. It was hard to speak but Lily managed. "Sorry, Angela, we can't." she said finally.

"Yes you can, you jackasses." cried Tom.

"I'm telling you for the last time, I'm handling this," Angela told Tom. "Okay, losers. We're gonna give you a chance to think it over, back in your cell. Remember what I said and believe it."

Angela got up and went to the door. "Take them back." she said to a henchman outside. The henchman trooper marched in, grabbed Charlie and Lily and roughly shoved them towards the doorway.

Back in their dark miserable cell, Charlie finally let the tears come and Lily comforted him. They didn't know what to do. They had no doubt Angela meant what she said and that if they tried to force Charlie and Lily to tell the truth, she probably would. Although Angela wasn't violent, she was just as dangerous. Charlie and Lily let out a shuddering sigh between them. Their only hope was Mona the Vampire, Wolfman, George and the Quest Team.

Back at Waterford High School, Dr Quest let out a sigh as he had just checked the crime records for the past Wednesday on his laptop. This was Friday night so the Quest Team had six days to go to find which chemical warehouse had been robbed. So far, no luck and it was time consuming. He bent his brown head to the side to get the kinks out of his neck and pulled up the files for Thursday.

"Anything yet, Dr Quest?" asked Mona in the 50s version of her Mona the Vampire outfit with George, who was now in his black leather jacket and brown ankle boots with a red baseball cap with gray ears on top, a gray eye mask and a light blue Rolling Stones T-shirt over a dark blue boiler suit which made him the wolf changing vigilante known as Wolfman George, as they entered the school library and found the Quest team there. Race hated to see people so worried. They all were.

"Sorry, kids, not yet." said Dr Quest.

"Come on, Doc, there's gotta be something!" exclaimed Wolfman George in his Cockney accent.

"Damnit, we're trying," said Race. "You two are coming with me, Estella, Jonny and Jessie. We're gonna find out what chemical plant was robbed of that knockout gas while Dr Quest and Hadji stay here. Then, we gotta to go there and try and get clues as to who's responsible. When I know that, it'll be easier to track them down and find Charlie and Lily but it takes time."

"Charlie and Lily might not have time!" cried Hadji. He knew he was being unfair but he knew that Race was doing his best but worry made him and Dr Quest unreasonable and they couldn't help it.

"Wait a minute, here's something," said Estella. "The Plextron Chemical Factory was broken into last Thursday night. At last, we've got something to go on. I'd better have a look. Race, kids."

"I'm coming too." said Mona's Tabby cat Fang.

"Oh no you don't, pal, you're staying here with Dr Quest and Hadji." said Mona.

Mona knew Fang's laws were set firmly and the look in his eyes belonged to a tiger and Fang said "If you want to stop me coming, Mona, you'll have to send me home."

Mona stared at Fang for a long moment and could barely hold in her pride for him and said "Okay then, let's go, we haven't got time to lose."


	4. We're Coming, Guys

Race's pick up truck Melissa landed near the lab and Race and Estella jumped out followed by Wolfman George, Mona the Vampire, Jonny and Jessie. Fang tried to leave Melissa.

"You stay here, Fang." said Mona but Fang was too concerned about Charlie and Lily to bother arguing. As they approached the lab, Race fired a grappling hook onto the roof and the entire gang climbed up. They stole across the roof and found a ventilation shaft.

"Dr Quest accessed a layout of this place," said Jessie. "This shaft'll take us straight into the building."

Jessie suddenly pulled the screen off and jumped in. George, Mona, Jonny and Estella followed although Race had to make a little effort to push his big butt through.

Race crashed to the floor and Jonny, Estella and Jessie barely had time to jump out of the way and George asked "Will you lot be careful? I don't want every guard in the place in 'ere." They stood in a small room with a table and storage closet. It smelled of cleaning fluid and Mona guessed it was a janitor's storage room. She tried the door and it opened.

"Let's go and quietly. We've gotta get to where the GZ7667 is stored," said Estella as she lead the way. The corridor was mostly dark but there were some security lights here and there. Estella pulled out a small flashlight and map she and Dr Quest had drawn. "According to this, the room where the gas used in the mall is located down the hall and to the right. Come on."

They proceeded down the hall when they got the surprise of their lives. A door suddenly opened, a light blazed into the hall and a raven haired man in a lab coat stepped out.

"Holy crap," he cried at the sight of Mona and George. "It's...it's you!"

Despite his surprise, Mona recovered quickly and said "Mona the Vampire and Wolfman George at your service."

"It's true, you really are a crook." said the man.

"No, we ain't, Guv," said George. "We fight crime and we're 'ere to investigate a kidnapping."

The scientist or technician studied the vampire and the wolfman and asked "You're not here to steal more of my valuable research?"

"No," Mona said getting pretty impatient. "Are you referring to the GZ7667 gas?"

"Yeah," said the man. "Almost all of it was stolen. Do you know why?"

"It was used to gas and kidnap a couple of mates of ours," said George as the look in his hazel eyes left no room for argument. "So I wanna find out who's responsible and I could use your 'elp. In fact, I insist."

Suddenly, there was the rapid patter of feet.

Cat feet. thought Race with a sigh. As if in answer, Fang appeared coming from the main entrance area.

"Mr Bannon, Dr Velasquez, Mona, George, Jonny, Jessie." cried Fang.

"What are you doing here?" asked Jonny. "And how did you get in?"

"The front door was unlocked." said Fang as Mona rolled her blue grey eyes. It made perfect sense if someone was working late, they'd leave a door open. They could have just walked right in.

"Okay, Little Dude, what's wrong?" asked Jessie.

"I saw Lorenzo Alejandro and Julia Faraday," replied Fang. "I saw their truck pull up and them sneak in."

Suddenly, it was all becoming clear.

"Dude, where are your gases stored? Fast!" Jonny demanded to the scientist.

"Follow me," the scientist said running around the corner. The others followed. They ran down a long corridor to a pair of double doors. The scientist punched in an access code to open them and they found themselves in a large room full of tanks that resembled large gas cylinders. "This is where the GZ7667 was stored."

"Are Julia and Lorenzo 'ere, Fang?" George asked.

"I'm about to find out." Mona said as she moved like a shadow between the cylinders of gas. She spotted Lorenzo and Julia gathered around one of the storage cylinders. One of them had attached a hose to it and was filling a smaller tank, the size of an SCUBA tank. The masked man quickly noted the number on the storage tank CC-199132. Then, she got back to the others in a hurry.

"What kind of gas is CC-199132?" asked Jessie.

"It's a new formula, it's designed to act on the brain and depress the higher functions. It can be a very effective truth gas." said the scientist.

"Oh my God." said Race already guessing what was going on.

"Let's get back to Melissa. Hurry," Estella ordered the others. "Before those jackasses leave."

"Thanks for your help." Mona told the scientist who just waved in bewilderment as they ran out a side door. As soon as they were safely inside Melissa, they all talked at once.

"Mona, Angela must've kidnapped Charlie and Lily," cried George. "And they're gonna use that truth gas on them!"

"But why?" asked Mona. "What could they expect to get out of them?"

"Maybe information about you two?" Race suggested.

Estella clenched her fists and said "Dammit...that's right. If they thought they could get information out of them, they'd do it. And use any means necessary, hence the truth gas they're stealing now."

Suddenly, both Melissa and the black truck had pulled out of the parking lot.

"Let's follow them, Gang but maintain altitude," instructed Jessie. "I don't want those total wieners to know about us until I'm ready."

They were heading out of town and Jonny said "It all makes sense, it's too much of a coincedence. Lorenzo and Julia stole the knockout gas to use in the original kidnapping plot. I don't know if they tried to get Charlie and Lily to voluntarily give them information first."

"They'd never talk." insisted Mona.

"I know they wouldn't," said George. "That's why it makes sense that they're going to force them to talk and went back to the easy source of the gas they'd need. And it's up to us to make sure they don't use it," The truck had stopped in front of a low rectangular building. "'Alcroft knows that place, it was a school at one time. Let's land acroos the road."

After Melissa came to the Princess, the whole gang climbed to the ground as quietly as they could. Kim said nothing about Fermat staying behind.

"How do we get past those guard dudes, Mona?" asked Estella. They could be seen patrolling in the floodlights around the building.

"We'll think of something," said Mona in a grim voice. "We're gonna save Charlie and Lily and God help any goons who get in my way." At this last statement, Mona's fists were clenched.


	5. Rescue Me

Mona took a few deep breaths and said "Okay, let's go and quietly." The whole gang snuck across the highway and into the yard of the former school. There was a chain link fence surrounding the building and they scaled it as quietly as they could. There was Tom freaking Sanderson standing guard at one corner. George, Race, Jonny, Estella and Jessie all flattened themselves against the wall while Mona snuck up behind him. Then, she swiftly put an arm around his neck and put him in a choke hold to cut off his circulation to his brain. When he slumped to the ground, the masked man made a hurried gesture to the others to follow him.

They saw an area that looked like a parking lot. A shiny Harley Davidson was parked closest to the building...obviously Lorenzo's motorbike the Nightmare. And they also saw the truck that was carrying the truth gas parked just outside a large garage door. Lorenzo was sitting on the bike talking to Julia.

"Quick." said Jessie heading for the back of the truck. She pulled up the door--luckily it wasn't secured--just enough to let the whole gang climb in the back.

"How'll we get out again?" asked Race.

"I'll figure something out." replied George.

Meanwhile, the sound Charlie and Lily dreaded came as his cell door opened and Lorenzo stepped inside.

"Let's go." he said leveling a gun at the two of them. Trembling, Charlie and Lily got up and walked out the door where Julia joined them. They marched them down the hall and into the same room they had been in before. And once again, Angela was waiting.

"Okay, losers, I'm gonna put the cards on the table," said Angela. "You've got one chance to spill your guts about You Know Who. Otherwise, you're both gonna get the gas and then you'll talk, like it or not. So it comes down to whether it's your choice or not. What's it gonna be?" Angela put her hands on her hips and looked at Charlie and Lily calmly.

"Okay, Angela, how do you know they told us anything?" asked Charlie.

"Because Mona's a bitch and George's got an ego roughly the size of Brooklyn, jackass," Angela replied. "They couldn't resist blabbing to you and we know that, bithes so stop stalling 'cause we don't got time for that."

"Give him the gas! Now!" cried Lorenzo looking at Charlie and Lily with eyes that practically glowed with madness.

"Shut up," said Angela before turning to Charlie and Lily. "Yes or no, Amigos?"

Charlie and Lily were too afraid to speak.

"Have it your way," Angela said as she made a gesture at Tom who was by the door who left. "I get what the hell I want here, dumbasses. That's Rule Number One." Her expression had changed from calm civility to cold determination.

"And we're gonna squeeze your brain like a wet mop!" cried Tm. Angela just nodded in agreement. Charlie and Lily felt their insides turn to frozen jelly.

The truck drove forward for what felt like about 50 feet and then stopped. Not moving, the eight inside heard footsteps.

"We need the gas," a voice said. "Dr Surd just ordered a canister brought to the room. Looks like they're gonna gas those punk kids."

Mona felt Fang beside her so she hugged him and said "Calm down, Fang. No one's gonna gas Charlie and Lily today." George and Mona stepped towards the door and waited holding it open just a crack. Both waited for Dr Surd's henchman's black leather gloved hand to appear to pull the door all the way up. When it did, Mona stomped on the hand as hard as she could.

The henchman let out a howl of pain. The door was sliding up. George grabbed a canister of gas and held it like a battering ram as he crashed it into the Surd henchman's head and he fell to the floor.

"Come on!" Race urged the whole team. Hearing another Hood henchman coming around the right side, Jessie and Estella grabbed the edge of the trailer on that side and with perfect timing pivoted themselves around to the side of the truck and Jessie struck out with a web kick at the same time. She nailed the Surd henchman in the beak and sent him flying.

Pulling out her gas gun, Estella ran past the fallen henchman followed by Race, Mona, George, Jessie, Jonny and Fang. They entered a small office area beyond which was an open area with double doors.

"If this is the Princess, it's pretty classy," said Jonny. "I'm guessing they'd try to gas Charlie and Lily in a cell where there are hookups for gas for welding or whatever. Let's find it."

But they had no sooner turned a corner when they ran into a Surd henchman who had time to hit an intercom switch and shout before a blast of knockout gas dropped him.

"What the hell was that?" exclaimed Angela as she heard the loud sound in the interrogation room. She hit the switch angrily and demanded "What's going on there and where the hell's the gas I ordered?"

"The Quest Team are on the ship, Angela,"said Julia. "By the look of things, they knocked out two of our men!"

"No...no, it can't be! That must be the work of Mona and the Wolfman," Angela said. "I want every one of those damn SOBs captured. Or else." She left the 'else' unsaid. Then she turned to Charlie and Lily who almost didn't dare hope. "If you lead those jerks here..." she threatened. Lorenzo picked up a chair and threw it against the wall so hard, it rebounded almost to the other side of the room and left a hole in the wall. "Something like that!" she snapped.

"How could we have?" begged Lily.

"I dunno...I'll figure that out later," said Angela as Lorenzo grabbed Charlie while Julia grabbed Lily and they all left the room. "Come on."

Meanwhile, the heroes found themselves in the middle of a battle. Jonny and Jessie were constantly swinging their fists knocking attacking henchmen left and right. So were Race, Estella, Mona and George. Fang were also doing his part disabling henchmen with a bite to the leg so Jonny and Jessie could level them with a Batman or Catwoman-style move. They were hitting henchmen in the throat and glad they couldn't see their faces as they fell to the ground clutching their throats and gagging horribly. They could see the cell just ahead. Slamming one more henchman against the unyielding brick wall, all seven ran through the doors.

"Lock them in there." said Angela pointing to a cell.

"Let's gas 'em now!" cried Lorenzo.

"Do what I tell you," Angela yelled at Lorenzo and Julia. "I'm sick of your crap!"

"Just watch it, Angela." warned Julia ominously but she and Lorenzo did start taking Charlie and Lily to the room roughly jerking them along.

Angela went to an intercom on the wall and said "This is your boss Angela Smith. Tell Dr Surd I'll be..." She was interrupted by a huge cloud of blue smoke and an all too familiar cry.

"I am the terror that flaps in the night! I am the spyware in the computer of crime! I am Mona the Vampire," said the voice of Mona as she, Gorge Race Estella, Jessie and Jonny all appeared. "Okay, bitch, where are my friends?" She pulled out her gas gun and pointed it at her old rich blonder haired blue eyed rival.

"Wouldn't you like to know, Miss Vampire." said Angela and in a lightning movement, she seized a circular saw blade and whipped it at Mona who quickly dodged the lethal projectile and fired a canister of knockout gas at Angela but the blonde's reflexes were amazingly fast as she grabbed a board and knocked the canister away like a baseball to a far corner of the cell where the gas exploded and dissipated harmlessly.

"Why don't you fight like a woman now?" sneered Angela.

"Okay." agreed Estella as he launched a bandhander across Angela's face. It landed on target knocking the blonde snobby bitch against a table. Then Angela grabbed Mona by the leg and threw her against the wall. Mona groaned with pain after the impact of the solid wall behind her.

"And now I'll have the pleasure of choking you to death and since I won't need your little friends anymore after that, they'll be next." said Angela. This filled Mona with rage and caused her to forget her pain. Grabbing a broom with a wild yell, George slammed the wooden pole into Angela's face. Then he struck again before the rich blonde criminal could recover. Angela staggered backwards, a trickle of blood running down her face.

"'Ad enough?" demanded George.

"Not nearly!" said Lorenzo from behind George just before he belted George in the head with a 2 x 4. He slumped to the ground.

"Good work," said Angela turning on a table saw behind her. "Now let's get this over with." They lifted the prone brown haired young man up and placed him next to Mona moving it towards the deadly fast-moving saw blade.

"George! Mona!" screamed Race and Estella forgetting themselves in their panic.

"What the hell?" said Angela looking up. This gave the still dazed Mona the opportunity to pull out her gas gun and fire a shot right into her face.

"Damnit." cried the blonde criminal stumbling backwards. George found the strength to jump up and smash a fist into her stomach despite Dr Jamell telling him not to hit women and that included his older sister Lottie and then turned and nailed Lorenzo and Julia with the same board Lorenzo had used to stun him. He noticed Fang, Jonny and Jessie pulling the storage door open then he saw Race, Estella, Charlie and Lily all running out.

Mona was the first to reach them embracing them tightly and shedding rare tears. George felt her own eyes stinging but the henchmen still had to be dealt with.

"You'll pay for this!" snarled Lorenzo who then seized a nearby henchman, lifted him in the air and hurled him at Mona who flew easily. The agent crashed through a window and fell unmoving to the floor.

Angela stood up with blood on her dark blue blazer. Her eyes were murderous and said "You are so dead. All of you and that includes you, Lorenzo, you total jackass and you, Julia, you total bitch." At these final statements, Angela glared at Lorenzo and Julia.

"What?" cried Lorenzo. "You let 'em get the better of you!"

"I'm done talking," Angela said as she pulled out a gun and aimed it at an acetylene tank. "I'm gonna blow us all to kingdom come." But just as she was about to pull the trigger to ignite the gas, a canister came sailing through the air and crashed into her arm throwing her aim off. The gun went off and shattered a window. Estella took advantage of the opening and threw one from the floor to flatten Angela.

"Bitch," sneered Julia to the blonde criminal. "I know when to quit...but next time, Quest Team, we'll clean you up like soap scum!" With a last insane cackle, they disappeared through the side door and were gone.

For a few seconds, the ship was quiet. Mona turned towards the Quest Team who were standing together. She and George went over and hugged Charlie and Lily.

"I knew you'd come to save us." Charlie said.

"No gas-wielding jerks are gonna brainwash my friends," said Mona as she she and Gorge hugged Charlie and Lily again. "Good job throwing that canister, Dr Velasquez, that was quick thinking."

"Oh, that wasn't me, Mona." said Estella.

"Fang?" asked George.

"Nope," said Fang. "It was Charlie." The cat nodded to his owner's closest friend and as if on cue, Charlie started rubbing his arm.

"Nice going, Charlie," exclaimed Lily. "We gave the bad guys a kick up the ass." She studied her boyfriend for a moment knowing what a wonderful and handsome second son and middle child Charlene and Peter Bones raised.

"Okay, George, you and Race tie Angela up with that wire while I call the police," said Mona. "Then I think we can all use a super pizza."

"WOO HOO," cried Jonny. "All we can totally eat."

Race shook his head. It looked like it was going to be a long meal.


	6. At the Diner

A few days had passed. Mona, George, Charlie, Lily and the Quest Team were all at Louie's Diner, Villa Park's number 1 1950s style diner. Mona had been nonstop in her gratitude for the Quest Team for helping her and George save Charlie and Lily and since Jessie now had an admiration for Lily's singing, that gratitude extended to them.

"You know, kids, I'll make sure when to tell you that you're now honorary members of the Quest Team." said Dr Quest as he smiled at Mona.

"Thanks, Dr Quest." said Mona thinking being a honorary member of the Quest team was a really good idea.

"Tell me again how they tried to make you and Lily talk, Charlie." said Hadji. Now that the danger was over, he was full of curiosity as to what had gone on.

"They threatened us, they were gonna gas us to force me to talk." said Charlie quietly. It was clear it was something he or Lily really didn't want to discuss.

"Hadji, why not save it for later." said Race.

Hadji nodded and said "I apologise, Charlie."

"That's okay, Hadji." said Lily as she and Charlie at the booth with Mona and George with Charlie not having touched his hamburger or soda. Hadji left and Dr Quest stood at the booth of the Chosen Ones.

"You know it's okay to still be scared," said Dr Quest. "That would've been traumatic for a grown man let alone a couple of teenagers like you two. It would've been scary even for Mona the Vampire and Wolfman George." He carefully avoided saying 'you kids' in case Estella was listening but it wasn't likely.

Charlie looked at him and asked "Really?"

Dr Quest nodded and said "Really. You didn't panic, you held up, you acted like real heroes. We're all proud of you two."

Charlie knew Dr Quest meant himself, Mona, George and the rest of the Quest Team.

"Thanks, Doc." said George, Charlie, Mona and Lily all smiling.

"Kids, you don't wanna give your secret identities away," Dr Quest said. "Now eat your burger before it gets cold, Charlie." The blond haired young man nodded and picked it up.

"Yo, Doc, Mr Martelli asked if you wanted another super triple burger." said George as he winked at Dr Quest. Dr Quest groaned and left the booth.

"None of my clothes might fit after today." said Dr Quest with a wry grin. Charlie, Lily and Mona all chuckled as Dr Quest went to get another hamburger and Charlie started eating his. He felt things would be different for him from now on.


End file.
